BOYS BASKETBALL COACH OF THE YEAR: Utaff Gordon

THE NUMBERS: Gordon was an assistant for Tim Jordan at Savannah High for three years before taking over the Atom Smashers this season. Gordon didn’t try to do too much with the offense, allowing his fastbreak-oriented team push the tempo with its free-flowing style. His emphasis on defense came into play during the postseason, when Johnson held two of five opponents under 40 points. Johnson was at its best in the playoffs, opening with a 37-point rout of Rockmart, before beating host Carver Columbus 71-65 in a tough second-round matchup. The Atom Smashers rolled to a 66-48 win over region rival Tattnall County in the quarterfinals and dominated North Hall 56-34 in the semis.

DEFINING MOMENT: Johnson had lost two of three games with crosstown rival Savannah High, including a 67-58 setback in the Region 1-AAA Tournament final. But the Atom Smashers won when it counted most, breaking out to an early lead over the Blue Jackets in the championship game and never slowing down. Johnson won the third state title in school history and the first since 1992 with a 61-51 victory over Savannah.

WHAT’S NEXT: The coach faces a challenge with the graduation of four starters, including LSU-bound Tim Quarterman. Gordon does have some key pieces to build around, including standout point guard Rico Bonds, Darrell Myers and Jamarey Lovett.

What they

are saying ...

TIM QUARTERMAN ON GORDON: “Coach Gordon is one of the best coaches I’ve had in my life. When I was younger, I didn’t realize what he was trying to do. He is a good defensive coach, and he helped us turn things around. We had problems with attitudes and selfishness, and he helped us grow as individuals and become a great team.”

GORDON ON GORDON: “A lot of people think winning the state title would be my most memorable moment of the season, but for me it was when we lost to Savannah High in the region tournament finals. That hurt the most, and you could see it hurt the kids in the locker room.

“But once we got past the first round of the state playoffs, the kids realized we were one step closer to our mission. And after winning the state title game — we were able to say it was mission accomplished. “

2012-13 ALL GREATER SAVANNAH BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM

TIM QUARTERMAN, Johnson, Player of the Year

JAKEENAN GANT, JR., F, Effingham County

Gant was selected as the Class AAAAA player of the year by the Georgia Sportswriters Association and was the Region 3-AAAAA Player of the Year after averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. He helped lead the Rebels to the Final Four and scored 29 points in a loss to Gainseville. He has offers from a host of schools including Indiana, Florida and Georgia.

CHRIS COKLEY, JR., C, Savannah High

The 6-foot-8 star was an All-Region 1-AAA selection and a first-team all-state pick by the Georgia Sportswriters’ Association. Cokley averaged 13.6 points and 7.6 points per game and is receiving interest from Division I schools.

GARY MCGINTY, SR., G, Savannah Country Day

The 6-4 guard was named the Region 3-A (East) co-player of the year for the second consecutive season. He averaged 21.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, while setting single-season records for scoring and 3-point shooting for the Hornets. McGinty was selected to play in the GACA All-Star game.

GREG MORTIMER, SR., G, Johnson

Mortimer complemented Quarterman well in the Atom Smasher backcourt, averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. An All-Region 1-AAA first team selection, he was an honorable mention all-state pick by the Georgia Sportswriters Association.

JAMAL NORMAN, JR., G, Savannah High

Norman was one of the keys in the Blue Jackets’ run to the Region 1-AAA Tournament title and second consecutive berth in the state title game. The versatile junior averaged 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game and is receiving interest from Division I schools.

PARIS BAKER, SR., F, Jenkins

Baker was a leader on and off the court for the Warriors, who lost to Effingham in the region title game by a point before advancing to the Elite Eight of the state playoffs. Baker averaged 11.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and was an All-Region 3-AAAAA selection.